My Final Offer of Laible from the 2014 VintageMembers of the Laible Cult Will Love This
For Those Who Have Not Tried Laible, This Is an Excellent "Gateway" Wine
I get maybe more emails about Laible than anyone else because his wines are so superbly crafted, terroir-driven and perfectly balanced. Think of them more along the lines of classic, really well made Chablis. Yes, there is fruit, but the wines are more about minerality and balance. They are wines that you can sit and study and the balance and aromatic expressions will evolve over the course of an evening. They are wines of quiet contemplation. I use the word cult for a reason. Laible lovers absolutely love these wines as they are so distinctive and gobble them up.
The consistency and depth at the price point I sell them for is a marvel. The wine I am selling today should be $35-$38 a bottle but it isn't because I buy direct from Andreas. And since I have not offered the Laible Steinrassel (formerly known as SL) in a long time, the Euro has gone down significantly so today a four pack goes for $27.99 versus $29.99 for the '13. Having said that the 2014 is absolutely rocking. Such a stunning bottle of Riesling. I am very excited to sell the 2014 Laible Steinrassel Riesling for $27.99 on a 4-pack. The 2014 Steinrassel is terrific. It jumps out of the glass at you with bright citrus, floral and lavender notes. It has a density to the aromas. Laible Rieslings are amongst the most floral ones out there. It's really one of the most distinctive thing about their Rieslings. Especially the Steinrassel. It has a crunchy depth to it like it usually has but in 14 it has an inviting juiciness that makes this maybe my favorite vintage of Laible yet. It has length, minerality for days, and a texture and mouthfeel that also sets it apart from so many other Rieslings
How can that be? His vineyards are as steep as the Mosel and just as treacherous as Durbach is a unique area with very steep vineyards and a much cooler climate than anywhere else in the Kaiserstuhl. That is what makes Andreas Laible's Rieslings some of the best and most distinctive in Germany. I think these wines demand attention but don't get the respect they deserve outside of my customer base. Along with Muellen, Weltner and Battenfeld Spanier Laible makes the most consistently fantastic Dry Rieslings in my book and that means they are also some of the top dry Rieslings in Germany.
Each producer is distinctive and part of a greater vibe I am looking for in my German portfolio. Call it "The New Germany" or what not, but Laible is right there. Every bottle is compelling in its own way.
Laible is another producer like Weltner I had my eyes on before I started Fass Selections. I had visited once before when I was working at retail and was surprised how many of his Rieslings and GG's did not make these shores. He tasted me on the whole lineup and the best ones were never sold here. Well fast forward and now they are being sold here through me and these wines are the real deal. This, Achat and Klingelberger are must buys every year. The classic Fass Selections German producer. Distinctive, bats way above its average, dry, incredible value that it is almost too good to be true, and ageable. What a wine. Would have been a great wine of the year candidate. Priced perfectly.
There are only a limited number of truly distinctive wineries using expert wine making technique in unique terroir to produce wines that are singular expressions of that terroir. When I opened Fass Selections, one of the main reasons I did it was to source and sell wines like this that I couldn't previously find in the United States.
The wines of Andreas Laible are wines that have the singularity that I love. They are also about as exclusive as they get in Germany. It's always nearly impossible to get your hands on the limited and allocated quantities of Laible in the States. The top wines are limited production and sell out fast.
The great German producers (Lauer, JJ. Prum, Wittman, Battenfeld-Spanier, Immich-Battiereberg) are also dry/off-dry/sweet wines from Germany with distinction, in that when you are drinking them there is nothing else comparable. Distinct character, for me, is one of the hallmarks of the world's greatest wines. I would put the dry Rieslings of Andre Laible in that class.
There is such a sense of serenity in Laible's wines. Most people think of Baden as hot and also that Pinot rules down here. There are tons of Grauburgunder, Spatburgunder and Weissburgunder planted in Baden. Some good, some not. Riesling is not considered anything of consequence in Baden as it was deemed too hot by the cognoscenti. Most of Baden is sweltering and that is why they grow Pinot varieties. Enter the Ortenau and more specifically Durbach where the great Plauerlain vineyard resides. Laible's house is right in the middle of this very special site. The Ortenau is easily the coolest part of Baden and that is why Riesling thrives here.
The vineyards are like the wine version of Brigadoon; an almost hidden area, nestled by the Black Forest on one side and steep valleys which protect them from the wind. An absolutely unique microclimate in Baden. It is the definition of idyllic, with the winery at the bottom of a bowl of vineyards. Combine that protection with soils mainly composed of granite, gneiss and mottled sandstone (also quartzite and porphyry depending where you are) all which release the warmth of the sun. Ortenau could be in the Mosel minus the slate. The vineyards are steep. I've walked the vineyards with Andreas and it is steep on a par with the Mosel. So hot days, cool nights, rocky soils that absorb and release the sun and steep vineyards all produce an environment that is perfect for producing light, airy, mineral and elegant Rieslings. And no one can do it better than Andreas Laible. These are just inspiring wines that are dripping with class, breed and elegance. It is easily one of the top twenty estates in Germany.
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